saturday morning: is this real life?

This morning is going well. I woke up at 8:00 to the sound of Todd saying, "Pancake party!" I got Wells situated and walked into the kitchen to see Elia sitting on the floor happily measuring sugar into little bowls and a plate of pancakes ready to eat. She scooped some sugar on my pancakes and the three of us hung out in the kitchen eating pancakes, playing "measuring", and chatting together while the baby slept.

After about ten minutes of this I looked at Todd and said, "This is what I imagined life would look like." A happy family just hanging out, enjoying each other's company.

I love our little family but life has not looked much like this lately. Elia has been whiny, Wells has been fussy, and their parents have been tired, not as patient as we'd like, and a bit (or more) crabby ourselves. This morning has been a reminder that this is a phase of our lives and that the challenges are far outweighed by the simple joys. So as the baby starts to stir and Elia's voice starts to take on that whiny edge, I'm going to try to practice patience and grace and soak in all of the sweetness of these moments with my babies.